Cell phone extension using wireless piconet

• US 8,731,569 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Agere Systems LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mooney, Philip D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Batista, Marcos
• Application Number:
  US13/826,867
• Publication Number:
  US 20130281099A1
• Time in Patent Office: 432 Days
• Field of Search: 455/11.1, 455/448, 370/338
• US Class Current: 455/448
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

In accordance with the principles of the present invention utilizing the BLUETOOTH specification Cordless Telephony profile, incoming calls to a cell phone including a Gateway role can be routed to another piconet device (e.g., another cell phone including a Terminal role. Two cell phones with BLUETOOTH capability each include the Cordless Telephony Profile. The cell phone receiving the call acts as a PSTN cordless telephone Gateway cell phone via the cellular network, while the other cell phone acts as a cordless telephone Terminal cell phone. The cordless telephone Terminal cell phone then acts as an extension to the Gateway cell phone allowing both calls to the Gateway cell phone to be answered at the Terminal cell phone, and even allowing calls by the Gateway cell phone to be originated by the Terminal cell phone.

Claims

1. A cellular telephone, comprising:

a cellular telephone module;

a piconet front end; and

a cordless telephone gateway module configured to provide a cellular-telephone-to-piconet-network gateway role, said cordless telephone gateway module being in communication with said cellular telephone module and with said piconet front end;

wherein said cordless telephone gateway module is configured, in the cellular-telephone-to-piconet-network gateway role, to allow an incoming call to said cellular telephone to be automatically answered over a piconet network by a remote telephone piconet device instead of by said cellular telephone and to selectively audibly ring said remote telephone piconet device based on incoming call-related information.

2. The cellular telephone according to claim 1, wherein said cordless telephone gateway module is further configured to provide a cordless telephone terminal role in addition to said cordless telephone gateway role.

3. The cellular telephone according to claim 2, wherein said cordless telephone module is configured, in said cordless telephone terminal role, to allow said cellular telephone automatically to connect to a cordless telephone gateway over a piconet network to answer an incoming call established by said cordless telephone gateway.

4. The cellular telephone according to claim 1, wherein:

said piconet front end is a BLUETOOTH device.

5. The cellular telephone according to claim 1, wherein:

said cellular-telephone-to-piconet-network gateway role conforms with BLUETOOTH device standards.

6. The cellular telephone according to claim 1, wherein:

said remote telephone piconet device is another cellular telephone.

7. The cellular telephone according to claim 1, further comprising:

an authorized terminal list including unique identification of at least one remote telephone piconet device permitted to answer incoming calls to said cellular telephone.

8. The cellular telephone according to claim 1, wherein:

said piconet network includes a scatternet connection.

9. The cellular telephone according to claim 1, wherein the ring type of said remote telephone piconet device acting as a remote handset to said cellular telephone is distinctive from the ring otherwise produced when an other incoming call goes directly to said remote telephone piconet device.

10. The cellular telephone according to claim 1, wherein said remote telephone piconet device is allowed to ring even while said cellular telephone is in a silent-ring or no-ring mode.

11. The cellular telephone according to claim 1, wherein said remote telephone piconet device is configured to audibly ring differently depending on which of a plurality of cellular telephones is receiving said incoming call.

12. A method of remotely answering an incoming call to a cellular telephone over a wireless piconet network, the method comprising:

establishing a piconet network including said cellular telephone and a remote piconet device in direct communication, said cellular telephone comprising a piconet front end and being adaptable to operate as a cellular-telephone-to-piconet-network gateway;

selectively audibly ringing said remote telephone piconet device based on incoming call-related information; and

allowing said incoming call to said cellular telephone to be automatically answered over a piconet network by another telephone device instead of by said cellular telephone.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

establishing in said cellular telephone a list of authorized remote telephone piconet devices permitted to remotely answer incoming calls to said cellular telephone.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein:

said cellular telephone is further configured to operate as a cordless telephone terminal and as said cellular-telephone-to-piconet-network gateway, and

the method further comprises said cellular telephone automatically connecting as a cordless telephone terminal to a cordless telephone gateway over said piconet network to answer an incoming call established by said cordless telephone gateway.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the ring type of said remote telephone piconet device acting as a remote handset to said cellular telephone is distinctive from the ring otherwise produced when an other incoming call goes directly to said remote telephone piconet device.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein said remote telephone piconet device is allowed to ring even while said cellular telephone is in a silent-ring or no-ring mode.

17. The method according to claim 12, wherein said remote telephone piconet device is configured to audibly ring differently depending on which of a plurality of cellular telephones is receiving said incoming call.

18. A method of allowing a remote telephone piconet device to answer an incoming call to a cellular telephone in communication with said piconet device, comprising:

passing incoming call-related information from said cellular telephone receiving an incoming call directly to said remote piconet device over a wireless piconet, said cellular telephone being adaptable to operate as a cellular-telephone-to-piconet-network gateway and comprising a piconet front end;

selectively audibly ringing said remote piconet device based on said incoming call-related information; and

allowing said incoming call to said cellular telephone to be automatically answered over a piconet network by another telephone device instead of by said cellular telephone.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein said remote telephone piconet device is allowed to ring even while said cellular telephone is in a silent-ring or no-ring mode.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein said remote telephone piconet device is configured to audibly ring differently depending on which of a plurality of cellular telephones is receiving said incoming call.

21. The method according to claim 18, wherein the ring type of said remote telephone piconet device acting as a remote handset to said cellular telephone is distinctive from the ring otherwise produced when an other incoming call goes directly to said remote telephone piconet device.

22. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

audibly ringing said cellular telephone together with said remote telephone piconet device in response to said receipt of said incoming call related information by said cellular telephone.

23. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

audibly ringing at least two remote telephone piconet devices in response to receipt of said incoming call information by said cellular telephone.

24. The method according to claim 18, wherein:

said wireless piconet is a BLUETOOTH piconet network.

25. The method according to claim 18, wherein:

said incoming call related information comprises callerID information.

26. Apparatus for allowing a remote telephone piconet device to answer an incoming call to a cellular telephone in communication with said piconet device, comprising:

means for passing incoming call-related information from said cellular telephone receiving an incoming call directly to said remote telephone piconet device over a wireless piconet, said cellular telephone being adaptable to operate as a cellular-telephone-to-piconet-network gateway and comprising a piconet front end;

means for selectively audibly ringing said remote piconet device based on said incoming call-related information; and

means for allowing said incoming call to said cellular telephone to be automatically answered over a piconet network by another telephone device instead of said cellular telephone.